Chapter 81 The Ruthlessness of Suo'etu
Liang Jiugong's high-pitched voice rang out.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
Everyone in the hall immediately stood up and knelt down to pay their respects.
Emperor Kangxi, dressed in a dragon robe, walked steadily into the main hall, took his seat on the throne, and exuded natural majesty.
His gaze swept across the entire room, and when he saw the little princess being carefully held in the arms of the Empress Dowager...
A barely perceptible hint of tenderness flashed in his eyes.
"Rise, all of you."
Emperor Kangxi raised his hand.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Everyone returned to their seats.
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang spoke when she saw that Emperor Kangxi had arrived.
"The Emperor has arrived. The time is perfect. Let's begin the banquet."
Emperor Kangxi nodded.
“Grandmother is right. Liang Jiugong, prepare for the banquet.”
"Yes, Your Majesty has decreed a banquet to be held—"
Liang Jiugong raised his voice to give the order.
The atmosphere inside the hall immediately became lively, and the palace servants began to serve the dishes in an orderly manner.
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang handed the baby Ruixue back to Fangruo and gave her loving instructions.
Hold the child carefully, don't startle him.
Fangruo quickly agreed, carefully took the swaddling clothes, and retreated behind Jiang Nan.
The little princess seemed a bit uncomfortable in the new embrace, letting out two soft whimpers. Fangruo quickly soothed her in a low voice.
The banquet officially began, with the sounds of string and wind instruments filling the air, and cups clinking in celebration, creating an atmosphere befitting royalty.
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The concubine was seated next to Jiang Nan.
A palace maid who had been holding a teapot with her head bowed suddenly flashed a fierce glint in her eyes.
With a flick of her wrist, she splashed the scalding hot water from the pot in her hand towards the swaddled baby in Fangruo's arms.
The action was swift as lightning, with a clear objective—to destroy that tender life.
"You lowly servant! How dare you!"
Because of her wider field of vision, Jiang Nan was the first to notice the unusual behavior of the palace maid on her left and the heat she was splashing.
He was filled with shock and anger, and shouted out in a stern voice.
Almost simultaneously, Fang Ruo, who was looking straight ahead, had no idea what was happening.
But upon hearing his master's urgent and sharp rebuke, alarm bells rang in his mind.
Acting entirely on instinct, without a moment to think, she suddenly clutched the swaddled baby tightly to her chest.
At the same time, arch your body as far as possible, using your entire back and head.
They sheltered the little princess completely beneath them.
"laugh--"
Most of the scalding water splashed onto Fang Ruo's arched back and arms.
Her palace dress was instantly soaked, wisps of white steam rising from it. The pain made her groan, and her body trembled violently.
But she maintained her bowed posture, remaining perfectly still, protecting the little princess completely.
"Take it down."
Emperor Kangxi's expression changed drastically, and he slammed his fist on the table, rising abruptly.
Zhao Deyi had already shot out like an arrow.
But when the palace maid realized she had been exposed, a sad smile appeared on her face.
Before Zhao Deyi could grab her, she suddenly turned around and slammed herself against the solid golden dragon pillar beside her with all her might.
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud and the sound of bones cracking, the palace maid collapsed to the ground.
His forehead was lacerated, blood gushed out, and he died instantly.
She was clearly a suicide squad member.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
The hall fell silent; the music stopped abruptly, and everyone was stunned by the sudden, bloody turn of events.
The little princess, who was being tightly protected, burst into tears due to the violent shaking.
The crying was particularly jarring in the deathly silence.
"Protect the Emperor!"
Liang Jiugong screamed, and the guards swarmed in, swords drawn, to protect the emperor.
Emperor Kangxi's face was ashen, and his chest heaved violently.
He stared intently at the corpse, his eyes filled with boundless rage and humiliation.
To dare to plot against the imperial heir at the New Year's banquet in full view of everyone is a blatant slap in the face.
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's face instantly darkened.
His gaze immediately swept to the right, where Empress Hesheli's face was deathly pale and she instinctively protected her abdomen.
Is it her? So stupid and arrogant?
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After her initial shock and anger, Jiang Nan also glanced at the Empress.
He turned around and quickly went to check on her. Fang Ruo's back was soaked with sweat, and her face was pale as she endured the excruciating pain.
But the little princess in my arms, apart from crying in fright, was not burned.
Wang forced herself to check on the child and was relieved to find that Fangruo had protected the child and that the child was alright.
Jiang Nan immediately signaled Chunlan to take Fangruo, who was holding the little princess, to a side hall to rest and deal with the situation.
After doing all this, Jiang Nan turned his cold gaze to the source of the incident—the seat to which the palace maid belonged.
Everyone's gaze fell upon Consort Ma Jia, who was terrified and slumped on her seat.
Ma Jiashi turned pale and crawled out to kneel on the ground, tears streaming down her face as she kowtowed.
"Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, I am innocent! I know nothing! This lowly maid must have been instructed by someone. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly."
She was so terrified that she couldn't speak coherently.
Emperor Kangxi, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, Empress Dowager, Empress, and Consort Niohuru all focused their attention on Lady Magiya.
The person who came out from beside her was implicated.
Jiang Nan knew exactly what was going on.
Ma Jia clan?
She wouldn't dare even if she had ten times the courage.
This is clearly a frame-up, the methods are so vicious, the target is the imperial heir, and it is a slap in the face to the emperor.
She stopped looking at Ma Jia and quickly scanned the faces in the room, some frightened, some solemn, and some feigning composure.
The first thing she did after the incident was to look at the Empress, but seeing the Empress's shocked expression, which seemed genuine, she guessed that it probably wasn't her.
Who is that? What is their purpose?
Is it merely a slap in the face to Kangxi, or is there some ulterior motive behind the child's mishap in her care?
Was all of this aimed at Jiang Nan?
Her gaze finally settled on Suo'etu, who sat in the nobles' seat, his expression solemn but with a hint of coldness hidden in his eyes.
Suo'etu felt Jiang Nan's gaze, but instead of avoiding it, he slightly raised his chin.
His eyes held a condescending disdain, as if to say something.
So what if you guessed it? There's no way to prove it now, what can you do to me?
Jiang Nan's heart sank suddenly, and anger and coldness instantly intertwined and churned in her chest.
It really was Songgotu!
In order to undermine Kangxi and make the emperor trust the Hesheli family more?
She thought about it again and realized that it made sense; at present, Suo'etu was only the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.
Sony was also dying of old age, and because of her suggestion to eliminate Ao Bai, Suo'etu did not get to enjoy this tremendous credit.
Therefore, it was impossible for him to become the famous first-rank Grand Secretary in history.
Or was he deliberately using this incident to bring her down?
If that's the case, then Suo'etu's schemes probably go beyond that.
Did he prepare any other dirty tricks to throw at her afterward?
Guess? I don't want to guess.
Jiang Nan's eyes flashed with a chilling light.
The other party has already shown his fangs; how could she sit idly by and wait to die? In any case, Suo'etu's provocation has already angered her.
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Kangxi looked at Ma Jia, who was kneeling on the ground and rambling incoherently, his eyes filled with a mixture of anger and disgust.
Such a disgraceful incident at his annual banquet necessitates a show of force, with immediate and severe punishment as a deterrent.
He took a deep breath and spoke.
"Liang Jiugong, convey my decree—"
"Your Majesty, please wait."
A clear yet unquestionable voice rang out, interrupting the imperial decree that Kangxi was about to deliver.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Consort Jin, Jiang Nan, had stood up. Her face was calm, but her sharp gaze swept across the entire room.
Emperor Kangxi frowned slightly and looked at her.
"Nannan?"
Jiang Nan gave a slight bow to Emperor Kangxi and spoke in a calm tone.
"Your Majesty, before dealing with Consort Ma Jia, I have something to say. The incident just now happened so suddenly that, despite my shock and anger, I did not panic. Instead, I carefully observed the reactions of everyone present."
She paused, her gaze slowly sweeping over the direction of the noble seats again, and spoke clearly.
"Your Majesty, I see that the vast majority of people present, including Her Majesty the Empress, Consort Niohuru, and even the princes and nobles, are filled with fear, anger, and disbelief! This is only natural; one should react this way upon witnessing such a horrific atrocity."
Her tone suddenly became firm as she changed the subject.
"However, there was one person whose reaction was different. While everyone else was shocked, I clearly saw that he was not angry at all. Instead, the corners of his mouth turned up almost imperceptibly, and a hint of... gloating flashed in his eyes. In fact, when I looked at him, the smile had not yet been able to be concealed."
These words caused an uproar throughout the hall.
Everyone held their breath, their eyes following Jiang Nan's gaze.
Kangxi suppressed his anger and asked in a deep voice.
"Nannan, who did you say it was?"
Without hesitation, Jiang Nan pointed to a person in the nobles' seat, her voice resolute.
It was like a thunderclap that resounded in everyone's ears.
"This person is Lord Suo'etu."
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